Conferences

From time-to-time, Beloit College hosts conferences on international education topics, in addition to other events, such as the workshops and conferences associated with the Weissberg Chair in International Affairs or the Asian Studies Teaching Colloquia. The two most recent conferences were held in November 2009, on Integrating Study Abroad into the Undergraduate Curriculum, and in October 2004, on New Directions in International Education. Both conferences brought participants to the campus from across the U.S.

Integrating Study Abroad into the Undergraduate Curriculum: Transforming On-Campus Teaching and Learning. Hosted by Beloit College and Kalamazoo College on the Beloit College campus, this conference grew out of a curriculum-development collaboration between the institutions on the conference theme. The collaboration was supported by a small grant from the American Council on Education’s Internationalization Collaborative.

In panel presentations, plenary sessions, and roundtable discussions participants addressed such topics as setting the stage for students’ learning abroad, maximizing learning on short-term study abroad programs, incorporating science study into study abroad, the relationship of language learning to study abroad, using program design to encourage engagement with host sites, and the relationship between the home campus curriculum and study abroad, and promoting intercultural learning. A poster session offered examples of different campus approaches to study abroad integration.

Funding for the conference came from the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and the Great Lakes Colleges Association. A number of the conference presentations and posters can be found on the conference schedule.

New Directions in International Education: Building Context, Connections, and Knowledge. This conference gave faculty and administrators an opportunity to exchange ideas about new ways of extending and enhancing students’ international education. A science workshop, sponsored by Global Partners, framed the conference.

Discussion questions included: How do we create the context in which students learn about the world around them? How can we create connections between institutions and individuals to foster learning? Are new international education models necessary to meet the needs of our students, faculty, and institutions; and to include students who do not normally engage in study abroad experiences? How does international education enrich the study of science and how science can enrich international education? Several of the conference presentations.